Occupy Santa Ana addresses council, joins with homeless

Massimo Marini speaks to the crowd gathered to protest the lack of beds for Santa Ana's homeless Tuesday, April 10. On Monday night he spoke to the Santa Ana City Council in connection with the same concerns.ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

SANTA ANA – Advocates of the homeless spent the last of seven nights in Santa Ana's Civic Center, but first appeared before the City Council to address some of the issues the homeless face.

Speakers from Occupy Santa Ana, who are staging the action, said they hoped the city would change its anti-camping ordinance to allow the homeless a place to sleep, and to provide an emergency shelter.

Massimo Marini, 29, of Occupy Santa Ana told the council during its public comment period on Monday that his group on April 10 set up what it calls "Necessity Village" the last night that Orange County's cold-weather shelters in the Santa and Fullerton armories operated for the season.

"At the armory they receive a mat and a blanket to sleep with," he said. "If you were to take that mat and that blanket outside, it constitutes the crime of camping."

He urged the council to amend or suspend the camping ordinance "so that people who use a mat and a blanket and take their shoes off every night should not be arrested or hassled for sleeping."

Through the week-long action, organizers of Necessity Village said they hope to bring to the limelight the lack of adequate emergency shelter for the homeless in Orange County, and to seek an end to ticketing of homeless people who bed down for the night in Santa Ana and other cities in Orange County in violation of anti-camping ordinances.

Santa Ana's citywide camping ban was found constitutional by the California Supreme Court in 1995. Police say their enforcement isn't intended to be punitive, but to get the homeless before the Homeless Outreach Court, where they can be connected with resources.Two people, not part of the Occupy group, were cited for violating the anti-camping ordinance early Tuesday, said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, police spokesman. They were in front of a door at Building 10 with suitcases, food and other items, and had been cited several times before, he said.

Speakers at Monday's meeting urged the council to place the issue on their agenda.

Davina Stein, 25, of Occupy Santa Ana, who said she was homeless for three years, urged the council to allow people to sleep outdoors from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. with a reasonable amount of space and possessions.

"It's a very simple solution to a very big, ugly problem," she said.

George Olivo, a longtime Santa Ana resident, said he was concerned about veterans among the homeless receiving tickets.

"I do not believe that an individual trying to get some sleep, putting a jacket over his head, really qualifies as camping," he said. "They don't have a campfire, and they're not having fun."

After one speaker's request to hear City Council opinion, City Attorney Sonia R. Carvalho said the item couldn't be discussed because it wasn't on the agenda.

Two Cal State Fullerton students spoke in favor of a program the police department wants to create called the Homeless Evaluation/Assessment Response Team (HEART) with $35,000 in block grant funds. The program would identify individual needs of homeless people that the department's Civic Center Detail comes across and refer them to resources.

After the meeting, Mayor Miguel Pulido described the issue as tough, not just for Santa Ana but for other cities as well, and added that he speaks to homeless people around City Hall.

"I fear for them," he said. "We as a city don't have the capacity to do more. My hope is that the state re-enters the area, because it's a regional issue."

Long term, he said, the Great Park, whose board he sits on, could become a resource, providing space for housing and a rehabilitation center.

At the Civic Center later, Stein prepared for a last night in Necessity Village, with about four members of Occupy Santa Ana and as many as 25 homeless people. Occupy plans to discuss next steps later this week.

"It's a positive next step in bringing change," she said of the meeting, "so when we approach the council as individuals, they'll have some beginning idea of where we're coming from.

Massimo Marini speaks to the crowd gathered to protest the lack of beds for Santa Ana's homeless Tuesday, April 10. On Monday night he spoke to the Santa Ana City Council in connection with the same concerns. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Homeless man Carlos Caja takes a spot on one of the beds made available by the Occupy SA protestors Tuesday, April 10 ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Occupy Santa Ana takes over the lawn near the Civic Center on Tuesday, April 10 the last day the armory cold-weather shelter program is open to homeless. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Occupy Santa Ana member Dylan Thompson offers water to homeless man Carlos Caja Tuesday, April 10 outside the Santa Ana Civic Center on the Walk of Honor side of the building. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Occupy Santa Ana takes over the lawn near the Civic Center on Tuesday, April 10 the last day the armory cold-weather shelter program is open to homeless. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Occupy Santa Ana and one-time homeless man Mike Gomez nails down the tarp Tuesday, April 10 He said of the Occupy event, "I hope it gets enough ettention for the couty to do something. This Walk of Honor has become Orange County's skid row," said Gomez. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Davina Stein, with the flag draped over her shoulders, listens to a speech during an Occupy Santa Ana protest of the ticketing of homeless people near the city's Civic Center. She spoke to the Santa Ana City Council Monday. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Police watch the Occupy Santa Ana protestors from across Ross Street on April 10 where the group was protesting the conditions for the city's homeless. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
This group of volunteers from Hy Vong and International Grace Ministry prayed after feeding homeless people in Santa Ana's Civic Center on Tuesday, April 10. RON GONZALES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A stack of mats and blankets is ready to be spread out on Tuesday April 10, the first night of a seven-day Occupy Santa Ana protest. RON GONZALES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Here's the entrance to the old Santa Ana bus terminal, where homeless people can use the restrooms during day and evening hours. The Orange County Transportation Authority in 2008 closed the Santa Ana Transit Terminal. The bathrooms are open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The county and Santa Ana split the cost of daily maintenance to keep the bathrooms open, said Joel Zlotnik, media relations officer for the Orange County Transportation Authority. He said the cost is $2,969.52 per month for maintenance of the Santa Ana Transit Terminal bathrooms. RON GONZALES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Serving People In Need, based in Costa Mesa, provided about 300 bagged meals to homeless people on the evening of April 12 along Ross Street in the Santa Ana Civic Center. Handing out meals were Lindy Tolbert and John Conant. RON GONZALES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Occupy Santa Ana activists set out tarps and mats on Thursday evening, preparing for their third night sleeping in Santa Ana's Civic Center. RON GONZALES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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